Drive-a-way truck fixture



Feb. 24; 1925.

W. P. FLEMING DRIVE-AWAY TRUCK FIXTURE 2 Shee'ts- 'Sheet 1 Filed July 12, 1924 INVEN'IOR 'ATTORNBY Feb. 24. 1925;

W. P. FLEMING DRIVE-AWAY TRUCK FIXTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed July 12, 1924 TORNBY Patented Feb. 24, 1925.

on! is TAT-ES WALTE'RP. 'FLEMING, OF DETROIT,'MIGHIGA1\T.

DRIVE-A-XVAY TRUCK FIXTURE.

Applicationgfiled July 12,

,Towzll whom it may concern:

Beit-known that I, VV-ALTER P. FLEMING, a=citizen of the 'Unitedfitates of America, residing in thecity of Detroit, county of ayne, estate of ,Michigan, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in a :Drivee-ad'Vay "Truck Fixture, and declare the following to be awfull clear, and exact description ofthe same,such,as will enable others-skilled in thea-rt to whichiitgpertains to gmake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying-1drawings, which form a part. of these specifications.

The object of my invention is; to provide drive-a-way fixture that can be used .on trucks-of the worm a. drive type, and easily attached to the end of: the drive worm casing,;provi ding;rneans for; attaching the towing device for autos.

Another'iobject is :to produce a drive-aay fixture that-can be easily attached to then drive wormv casting of k the rear :axle of -=an automobile, without removing any of the bolts, or drilling holes therein, yettpro- .vi'ded Withrsufiicient support for withstand .ing the load from 1 the towing device attachedi-to the car following.

A still further object is to produce a driveaa-Way fixture that is simple in construct-ion, easily and L efficiently attached to the truck gear -housing, and can be manusgfiactu-red at-(a low cost.

:Theseseveral obj ects are attained by. the construction more fully hereinafter set forth.

Similar parts on. all drawings are marked by; similar numerals.

Fig. 1,.showsa plan-view-of thee-device, and the general arrangement of the Working parts therein.

rFig. 2, is a side view. of the fixture showing the hinge connectioin-and themeansfor connecting the tow; a' vvay device; thereto.

-lTig.A-, isa section view ofgthmcasting taken-on the line --AA;off Fig. :1.

r-Fig. 15,; is a sectional view onxthe iline -BB- of Fig. 1, showing the means for supporting the load andrthrust from 1 the towing device-attached thereto.

?-F ig.- 6, is a sectional view online .-CC-- of :Fig. 1, showing theclamgeing :arm and means for; connectingthe capand base castingstogether.

1924. Serial No. 725,727.

clamping arm, providedwith a slotted hole l'orgthe bolt.

vF 1g. 8, is a sectional view online -AA showing modified form of draw bar,

and adjustable means for attaching thecast- 1 .ing tothe flange of the drive Worm casing of the truck axle.

Fig.9, illustratesthe device attached to the endflange of the drive wormihousing on the rear axle of-a truck.

.Fig. 110, showsa sideview of the device as ;attache d.

I will now describe more fully the detailed construction of m device, referring tothedrawings and the marks thereon.

My device is especially adapted for use with light automobile.trucks,.designed with a Worm drive mechanismin the center of the rear axle, and especially adapted to operate -With the light Ford .truck so commonly known and used at the present time. is shown in FigsQ and .10 the worm drive is mounted in a cylindrical casing a-, mounted on thetop. of the dilterential housing b in-the center of the rear axle 0'! the truck, and positioned at right angles thereto. The cylindricalbody of the drive worm housing is provided -Witl1 a square iflanged end -C'-, on the rear end thereof. anda square closing cap bolted thereto. My device is designed to enclose and engage the projecting flanges of-the square end ot' the drive Worm housing, and attached thereto by means of adjusting screws, andproyidingsup-ports to withstand the strains in both directions asrequired in stopping and drawing the attached load.

My device is preferably nnde of cast :metal, suitable forbeing shaped in the ordinary ,molds,-and compriscs two sections 1 and 2, forminga rectangularshaped onening therein. The base section -1 being aUshaped casting having thin flat walls, shaped toalit the outer contour o'lithe-rectangular flange o on the end of the drive worm casing -a, and is providedwith a hinge -8 at one endthereof, having an teshapcdend atthe other end of the casting. iittached to the -hinge end o'l the casing is the cap bar -2-, also a U-shaped casting provided with one hinged end thereon and an Lshaped-end designed to coincide with and eng sre the Lshaped end 4 ofthe base eastng 1-. The cap -2 is attached to the base castinghinge by the pivot bolt 6-- and is free to swing thereon in a plane parallel with the face of the casting. Through the free L-shaped ends of both castings are bolt holes positioned concentric with each other and the castings l and 2 are held firmly together by the bolt -7 passing therethrough. In the center of the cap 2 is a set screw S-, passing through the wall and parallel to a plane through the center thereof, for attaching the device to the end flange of the drive worm casing on the truck axle. The set screw 8- is provided with a lock nut --9, for clamping and holding the screw 8 firmly in place. At each of the corners of the base casting -1 are side wing projections -10 extending along the inside edge of the casting, for overlapping and engaging the corners of the square flanged end 0- of the worm casing, and provide a support for withstanding the load from the towing device to be attached thereto. On theopposite edge of the base casting 1-, along the bottom wall and between the wings -10, is attached the draw bar -1l, so positioned as to project above the inside surface of the bottom of the casting 1, to engage the outer face of the end flange cap cfor withstanding any thrust occasioned by stopping the truck and the car in tow. In the outer end of the draw bar -11, is a bolt hole l2 for attaching the towing device thereto.

In attaching my device to the square flanged end of the drive worm casing, the bolt 7 must be loosened and the cap bar -2 raised on the hinge 3, allowing the wing projections -10 to be hooked behind the lower projecting corners of the square end flange -c-, and the top portion of the device'pivoted over and clamped to said casing flange by means of the bolt '7- and the set screw 8. The towing device may then be attached thereto by means of a bolt in the draw bar -11, and the load therefrom supported by the projections 10- hooked behind the flange corners. Likewise the raised projection of the draw bar 11 transposing any thrust from the towing device, into the worm casing and into the axle of the truck. 7

A modified form of draw bar is shown in Fig. 8, having a draw bar 13- lowered to the bottom of the casting and provided with a central boss 14- projecting above the bottom of the casting -1, being pro vided with an adjusting screw 15+ for engaging and adjusting the device to the thickness of the end projecting flange of the form drive casing of the truck axle.

Having fully described my truck fixture, what I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: V

l. A drive-a-way truck fixture adapted to attach to the flange of a truck drive worm housing, comprising a rectangular shaped frame casting, means for attaching said frame casting to the end flange of a truck drive Worm gear housing, projecting flanges on one side of saidframe for engaging the flanges of the end of the truck drive worm housing, a draw bar positioned on the opposite side of said frame for attaching a load thereto.

2. A drive-a-way truck fixture adapted to attach to the end flange of a truck drive worm housing, comprising a rectangular shaped frame casting, formed in two sections and hinged together at one end thereof, means for clamping said hinged frame to the end flange of the said truck drive worm housing, projecting flanges on the side of the frame for engaging the end flanges of the truck drive worm housing, a raised draw bar projecting from the opposite side of the frame casting, and means for attaching a load thereto.

3. A drive-away truck fixture adapted to attach to the end of a truck drive worm housing, comprising a rectangular frame formed of two sections and hinged together at one end thereof, means for attaching the other ends of the frame together, means for clamping said frame casting to the flange of a truck drive worm housing, projecting flanges at the corners on one side of said frame for engaging the end flanges of the truck drive worm housing, a draw bar projecting from the opposite side of said frame for attaching a load thereto, and a projecting portion of said draw'bar engaging the outer face of the truck drive worm housing.

4. A drive-a-way truck fixture adapted to attach to the end flange of a truck drive worm housing, comprising a rectangular shaped frame casting formed of a top and base sections and hinged together at one end thereof, means for attaching the other ends together forming a rigid frame, a setscrew mounted in the top section and parallelwith the plane of the frame casting, projecting flanges at the corners of the base section on one side of the frame for engaging the end flange of the truck drive worm housing, a draw barat the bottom of said base section, in the center thereof and on the side opposite to the projecting flanges, said draw bar being at right angles to the plane of the frame casting, and having a hole therein for attaching a load thereto, and having a projecting shoulder to engage the outer face of the end flange of the truck drive worm housing.

5. A drive-a-way truck fixture adapted to attach to'the' end flange of a truck drive worm housing, comprising a rectangular shaped frame formed of a top and a base casting hinged together at one end thereof, means for attaching the other ends of said castings forming a rigid frame, a set screw mounted in the top section and parallel to the plane of the frame, means for locking said set screw to the frame, projecting flanges at the corners of the base section on one side of the frame, and parrallel thereto, for engaging the corner of the projecting end flange of the truck drive worm housing, a draw bar at the bottom of said base section in the center thereof and on the side opposite to the projecting &

flanges, said draw bar being at right angles to the plane of the cast-ing frame having a hole thereon for attaching aload thereto and having a projecting shoulder for engaging the outer face of the end flange of a truck drive worm housing and means for adjusting same thereto.

In witness whereof I sign these specifications.

WALTER P. FLEMING. 

